Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

ANNISTON, Ala. —An east Alabama congressman has a plan to save taxpayers money when it comes to storing vintage firearms for the Army.

Rogers proposes CMP take control of old Army pistols

The plan involves moving the weapons to the Civilian Marksmanship Program, which includes its facility in Anniston.

Congressman Rogers says it's a win-win because the pistols are placed in very capable hands at the Civilian Marksmanship Program and it also saves taxpayers roughly $200,000 per year.

The M1911A1 pistol was once the standard sidearm for U.S. armed forces. Rogers says a little over 8,000 of the 100,000 pistols were sold to law enforcement and transferred to foreign countries for a small price. The rest are in storage.

The CMP will inspect, grade, and prepare the pistols to be sold. It will also reimburse the Army for any costs associated with moving the firearms.

It won't happen until at least 2017, and then only if a major change (wink, nudge) is made.

Oh.... I'm so freakin' on this one.... I would LOVE another 1911!

Damn you Dorm! You got me hooked on 'em!

Reverenddel wrote:Oh.... I'm so freakin' on this one.... I would LOVE another 1911!

Damn you Dorm! You got me hooked on 'em!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Quitcher whining, boy. To enjoy the finer things in life one must set priorities. If you weren't buying 1911s you'd probably just waste it on food, gas and retirement savings. I done ya a flavor.

HAHAHAH True! TRUE! And they only GAIN in value!

However, I have to find out how to get my name in the system of CMP for one of these, because you know they're gonna go fast.

HAHAHAH True! TRUE! And they only GAIN in value!

However, I have to find out how to get my name in the system of CMP for one of these, because you know they're gonna go fast.

Reverenddel wrote:HAHAHAH True! TRUE! And they only GAIN in value!

However, I have to find out how to get my name in the system of CMP for one of these, because you know they're gonna go fast.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It is my understanding that VCDL is a CMP-affiliated organization. I don't know how or if one can actually get his name in the pot through them, but it's a lead-pipe cinch somebody on this forum does. I'd like one, too

I want my first one!

Yep! You take your VCDL card with the expiration date, your CHP, and I think D/L fill out the form, and there ya' go.

Swamp! GIT EET SON!

Before you guys drown in your own drool, note that this is an amendment to a bill being proposed in the House. It would have to pass Congress AND be signed into law by the President.

Ain't gonna happen until 2017 - at best.

Yeah, we know Bob. Gittin' in line is just the first step. Wait'll Bloomie gets a load of this crap! His bloomers'll get full quick!

Huh? There is no line until there is a program and there is no program until a law is enacted.

Bob, the line starts with getting INTO THE CMP SYSTEM.... once you're in the system, and able to get approval, when/if these come on line.... you're able to pop funds, and order QUICKER than waiting around.

It's the same as being prepared for a disaster, and searching half-empty stores the night before.

First - even if the pistols never end up at the CMP, you can still get M1 Garands (best prices anywhere) and every so often other rifles (03 Springfields, 03A3 rifles, M1917 rifles, M1 Carbines - every one of these has been available in the past and while the CMP says they may not get anymore, they might, if another batch if found in a warehouse somewhere).

Second - lots of folks (on other forums) are saying they guns will be wore out and worthless. When I was in the US Army back in 1978 my outfit decided to have a battalion combat pistol team for the eastern regional FORSCOM matches held at Ft. Meade, MD that year. The 1911A1's in our armory were like the ones described on those other forums. When I signed up for try outs for our team I went through the guns in our company armory. I grabbed each one by the grip/frame and shook it real hard. They rattled like a metal can full of nuts and bolts. I took the one that rattled the least and got the armorer to set it aside for me for the try outs. For some reason we shot at paper and pop up targets that day (the matches were all paper targets) but my rattle trap 1911A1 knocked down every pop up I pointed it at from 25 meters to 50 meters. A nice tight slide to frame fit isn't required for "minute of man" accuracy at reasonable distances.

Would I order one from the CMP? Probably not. I've got my old 1911 already. Had it since just after those 1978 pistol matches (yeah, fell in love with those 1911A1s). I bought a Colt 1911 (made in 1917) from Clark Brothers. It's still a nice looking gun.

I qualified for my Expert Pistol ribbon/medal in the USN with a 1911 more years ago than I wish to say.
Granted, the Navy only required a 225 out of 300 at 25 yards. (10 rnds slow fire, 10 rnds timed fire, and 10 rnds rapid fire). I had a smoke stack I had to clear during rapid fire and still shot a 235.

Now, first I have to say that my current EDC is a hand built 1911 on a Caspian Arms SS frame. It's about 28 years old and it's still rattle free.

That being said, something just occurred to me.

When a 1911 is in full battery the barrel lugs are fully engaged with the mating lugs of the slide, essentially locking the sights of the slide with respect to the bore of the barrel REGARDLESS of any slop between the slide and the pistol frame.
It seems to me that just because a 1911 has some rattle doesn't mean it won't accurately hit what you aim at. Every gun I've ever owned or shot has shot better than me. (Comparing rest firing vs. standing free hand)

Besides that, all it takes is some judicious work with a prick punch, small hammer, and a stone to tighten up the slide to frame mating surfaces if the rattle bothers you that much.
Actually I find the idea of out shooting someone while using a 50+ year old "rattle trap" a highly amusing idea.

AlanM wrote:I That being said, something just occurred to me.

When a 1911 is in full battery the barrel lugs are fully engaged with the mating lugs of the slide, essentially locking the sights of the slide with respect to the bore of the barrel REGARDLESS of any slop between the slide and the pistol frame.
It seems to me that just because a 1911 has some rattle doesn't mean it won't accurately hit what you aim at. Every gun I've ever owned or shot has shot better than me. (Comparing rest firing vs. standing free hand)

Besides that, all it takes is some judicious work with a prick punch, small hammer, and a stone to tighten up the slide to frame mating surfaces if the rattle bothers you that much.
Actually I find the idea of out shooting someone while using a 50+ year old "rattle trap" a highly amusing idea.

Since the barrel link is connected to the frame, it can have an effect (although minimal), by pulling the rear of the barrel slightly down, causing the impact to be slightly higher, it would cause a slight amount of vertical stringing. Slop between the barrel bushing and barrel will allow dispersion in all directions. Neither will cause huge reliability issues, but they will open up the shot groups.

You can't expect too much from these pistols, the youngest of them were built in 1945 and were in service through the late '80s. Most have been rebuilt two, three or more times. They weren't treated the best by their users, They may have gotten only 50-100 rounds through them some years, but they were dragged through a lot of mud, snow, rain and sand. They have had a lot of holster time and even if they were originally blued M1911s, at this point they are probably a bunch of mixed up parts and have a poor level of parkerization left.

All that said, I wouldn't say I wouldn't buy one, but there is only one serial number I would purchase and it is ingrained in my head.